Recent Animal Articles

Tips That Make Your Wildlife Shots Just a Bit Easier

It turns out that taking quality images of animals is actually quite challenging. Grab a telephoto lens and check out this video for some tips that make getting a strong shot just a tad more reliable.

Peek Inside a Wildlife Photographer's Gear Stash

Spring is coming. If you're anything like me, you'd rather be out in the woods pretty much all the time right now. And if I'm out in the woods, chances are I have some kind of camera with me.

Ten Easy Tips for Dog Photography

The same way people portraiture requires imagination and inspiration to create something different, so does dog photography. Have you tried photographing dogs but wished you could have added something to make them stand out more? Phil Harris has created a short video to give you 10 quick and easy tips and tricks to achieve that.

Getting Started With Wildlife Camera Trap Photography

With wildlife photography, much of it is giving yourself the opportunity to be in right spot and the right time. But sometimes it’s not realistically possible to be present behind the camera when your skittish subject is nearby in the frame. That’s where camera trap photography comes in.

How Minimal Skill and Effort Can Have a Huge Impact on Foster Dog Adoption Rates

Every holiday season (and sometimes in between), we see the typical high-end pet photography shoots as excellent photographers put their time, money, and skill into creating impressive setups and wall-worthy images to help breathe life back into adoption rates. But it can be a lot to commit to a proper studio setup to shoot dogs every month, let alone every year. However, even with minimal effort, skill, and time, the difference you can make at any time of year in a foster dog’s life as a photographer is incredible. You just wouldn’t believe it. So I’ll prove it.

The 13-Year-Old Award-Winning Wildlife Photographer

Since age seven, Josiah Launstein has been developing his photographic skill and style. Perhaps good parenting resulted in this child prodigy's success — it certainly helps to have a father who is a photographer — or maybe it was luck that led him to find what he's passionate about at an early age. Either way, this young Alberta native proves the saying, "age is just a number," to be true.

How to Be Prepared for the Wildlife Shot of a Lifetime

Some of the best photographic opportunities happen when you least expect them. In this video from John E. Marriott, he shares valuable tips on how to always be prepared for the surprise wildlife photo of a lifetime.

Create Better Bird Photographs Near the Water With These Smart Tips

As I’ve started spiraling down the wonderfully challenging path of bird photography, it’s become apparent that there’s a lack of well-made resources to get a jump start on it. Given it’s a small genre with a lot of competitiveness in earning money with limited avenues to sell work, I can understand that. However, I’m always happy to find someone with high-caliber work share their time-earned insights into the craft. In this video, Steve Perry breaks down 10 great tips on photographing birds while on the shoreline.

Canon Versus Nikon: Which Is Best for Wildlife Photographers?

Wildlife photography is one of the more expensive kinds of photography, with some popular lenses costing over $10,000. For many photographers, trying to get close enough to the subject may require longer 600mm lenses, but when you consider the price for each of them, a little research can definitely go a long way. The Canon 600mm F/4L II is a little cheaper than the Nikon 600mm F4E; however, sometimes the price isn't a major factor when deciding which to buy.

Drone Herds Sheep in Beautiful New Zealand

Some of you may have woke up early on Christmas morning to rush to the tree and unwrap your shiny new drone. Unfortunately, the unusually cold conditions in parts of the US meant that many of you were grounded. So while you were there holding your new toy in your hands, staring wistfully at the crisp air outside, you may have had to justify the large price tag to yourself or to your partner/parents.

Urban Shepherds and Medium-Format Film: The Photography of Stefano Carnelli

Stefano Carnelli is an Italian photographer living in London and Berlin, shooting socially-engaged, documentary images on medium-format film with a particular interest in the relationship between people and landscapes. His recent project, “Transumanza,” explores the lives of shepherds and their flocks in the Po Valley of northern Italy, examining how their historic traditions have changed in response to globalization and an ever-shifting landscape.

National Geographic’s Nature Photographer of the Year

The winners of National Geographic’s 2017 Nature Photographer of the Year have been announced. This year, Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan comes away with the grand prize for his wildlife photo, “Face to Face in a River in Borneo.”

Photo of Burning Baby Elephant Wins Wildlife Photo Contest

"Hell Is Here" is the title of Biplab Hazra's photograph of a burning elephant calf that got him this year's Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Award from Sanctuaryasia.com, which describes itself as India's leading nature and wildlife conservation portal.

BBC’s 'Blue Planet' Is Back and It’s Better Than Ever

The first episode of "Blue Planet II" was aired in the U.K. this week to critical acclaim, showcasing some of the most remarkable camerawork ever seen on the seas, and even giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the huge efforts undergone in capturing this international TV event.

Wildlife Photographers: Scrub Your GPS Data 

In a recent series about people, technology, and nature, Vice highlighted the growing problem of poachers who are using photographer’s GPS data to locate, harass, and kill rare animal species. In the US, one of the more prevalently poached species is the rattlesnake, a species that is almost exclusively North American.

If You Have Questions About Photographing a Rainforest Watch This

Here is a great video with some tips and tricks for photography in a tropical setting. Something that I'm sure a lot of us would kill for the opportunity to travel and shoot, the folks over at NatureTTL have some advice to save yourself a headache in the event you have that chance. If you want to save yourself some time and avoid learning things the hard way, give this video a watch as they break down a few different basic ideas to help you prepare for the climate.

Powerful Images from the Wildlife Photographers of the Year

This week the Natural History Museum in London will hold the ceremony to announce the winners of the Wildlife Photographers of the Year. The winning images are powerful reminders of life beyond cell phones, Facebook, and other daily routines we have become accustomed to. Notably, some of the most impressive categories are from those not even old enough to drive.

On The Bright Side - The Iconic Dog Portraits of William Wegman

As Halloween nears, we are all soon to be bombarded with a litany of images in our social media feeds of our friend’s unwilling pets being forced to don cute/embarrassing outfits picked out by their fawning owners. In fact, it’s highly likely that we have perpetrated this subtle canine fashion abuse ourselves at some point and time in our lives. How can you help it? They’re just so darn cute. But what is far less likely is that any of us will have achieved the rakish heights of the world’s foremost purveyor of canine imagery, William Wegman.

Being a Professional Dog Photographer Is as Much Fun as It Sounds

Who's a good boy?! For around 45 years, William Wegman has been working with canine companions and exploring all of the peculiar possibilities that come to his mind. With a studio, lots of props, and a playful disposition, Wegman has crafted a career the revolves around man's best friend.

The Stunning Images From an Underwater Photography Competition

Scuba Diving magazine just released the winners of their 13th annual underwater photography competition. This year’s “Through Your Lens” contest features incredible images taken over this past year from photographers throughout the world.

Fstoppers Interviews Fine Art Photographer George Wheelhouse

George Wheelhouse is a fine art nature and landscape photographer from Bedfordshire, U.K. I recently spoke with him about his contemporary portraits of animals, as well as his more traditional woodland and mountain landscapes. Though many of Wheelhouse's favorite subjects are local, he told me that he loves to travel to remote locations, particularly to Nordic areas. He also shared that he is quite fond of boreal forests like Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Canada.

Is The Nikon D850 The Best Wildlife Camera Too?

When it comes to wildlife photography, high megapixel cameras aren't normally the first kind of cameras that most people tend to think of. Cameras such as the Canon 1DX Mark II, the Nikon D5, and the Sony a9 come to mind, due to their incredible burst rates, rugged build quality, and amazing autofocus systems. Tony Northrup, an avid wildlife photographer, believes the Nikon D850 to be the best camera for wildlife photography. In his latest video, Northrup describes in detail why he believes this to be true and based on the information he presents, it's difficult to argue against his points.

husky standing on rock beneath cloudy sky

As a dog photographer, one critical post-processing skill is the ability to remove leashes from your images. It is often the single most time-consuming step of editing your dog portraits. I have tried many techniques for removing leashes, and I find this one to be the fastest while producing great results.

The Snow Leopard Photographed With an 800mm by Vincent Munier

Vincent Munier is a Nikon ambassador, but more importantly, he’s probably one of the best animal and wildlife photographers. He’s photographed quite a few subjects in his career, but shooting the snow leopard in its environment was an exceptional project. It's one that Nikon supported and we now can enjoy through this beautiful video.

How a National Park Changed the Way I Shoot: Lessons From Yellowstone (Part 1)

It's been several years since I first had the chance to visit Yellowstone National Park, but I can honestly say that it was an incredible experience throughout and I can't wait to go back. The trip to the national park was honestly a game-changing experience for me and how I approach my own landscape photography. I learned so much on that trip, not necessarily about my gear, but about what to shoot and how to capture it in a way that would help me really remember what it was like to see things in person.

Breathtaking Hunt for the Perfect Polar Bear Photography in Arctic

Photographing wild animals in their natural environment is very rewarding and one of the most beautiful experiences that a nature photographer can live. Actually, that most photographers could live. Being face to face with a polar bear with nothing but a camera in between is both extraordinarily breathtaking and scary. Wild nature photographer Joshua Holko, filmmaker Abraham Joffe, and cinematographer Dom West went to the Arctic and documented this experience so that we could try to relive it with them.

How to Shoot Gorgeous Studio-Quality Macro Insect Photographs Without the Studio

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at dramatic macro shots of insects, but don’t have a studio setup or - let’s face it - the desire to cart strange insects back from your outdoor excursions? Entomologist Phil Torres has a neat solution. In this video, he takes us through his simple and elegant setup for shooting studio-quality macro photographs in the field.

Tiger Chews on 360-Degree Camera While It Records

A Sumatran tiger at a United Kingdom zoo strolled up to a Nikon KeyMission 360 camera, swatted it down from its perch on the fence, and chewed it up a bit. Needless to say, the KeyMission survived and safely protected the memory card with the footage in the process.

A Trip to the Woods: Wildlife and Bird Photography With the Sony a9 Mirrorless Camera

Since the new Sony a9 announcement and subsequent release, it’s been earmarked as an honest competitor to the sports and wildlife scene. As time went on we saw a lot of talk about it being framed in the context of sports photography, so I eagerly wanted to take it out and see what it had to offer to the wildlife and bird photographers who were often getting left out of these discussions. Here’s a collection of my thoughts after heading out into the woods with the Sony a9.

nine dogs in grassy field

The challenges of creating portraits of dogs are compounded when more than one animal comes along for your session. Whether you’re photographing two dogs or two dozen, this simple compositing method will make sure you will be able to create the perfect group portrait where each dog is looking their best.

Advice for Working With Animals on Set

Photographing kids can sometimes be difficult, and even some adults can present challenges during a photoshoot. Shooting animals can present similar challenges along with whole new ones you may not have thought of before. Whether or not the animal is professionally trained to be in front of the camera, you need to be prepared.

Levitating Bird or Camera's Frame Rate Perfectly Synced With Bird's Wings

As long as humans have known birds, they have also known that they fly. But apparently, some of them could levitate — or at least that’s what a recent viral video on YouTube seems to suggest. How amazing is it to capture a floating bird? Let’s have a look!